Subject:

From:

To:

@Q Memorandum

U.S. Department
of Transportation

Federal Transit
Administration

Environmental Clearance for advance construction of Date: August 13, 2009
"tain box" portion of Transbay Transit Center

Leslie T. Rogers Reply to Coa .
Regional AdminisgtrAt \ Attn of. Eric Eidlin, Community Planner

Paula Schwach
TIFIA JPO Counsel

You have asked the FTA Region IX office to determine whether the accelerated construction of the
“train box” portion of the Transbay Transit Center would require additional environmental review
After careful review of the March 2004 FEIS and associated ROD for the Transbay Terminal /
Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project, dated February 5, 2005, Region IX
concludes that building the Transit Center in one single longer phase, as opposed to two phases,
was already analyzed in the FEIS. As such, no additional environmental review should be
required, unless new information surfaces that new or more severe impacts on the environment
would result from the advance construction of the train box

We should also note that major actions to advance the project, such as the demolition of the old
terminal, have been underway since the ROD was signed in 2005, so a re-evaluation of the FEIS
due to the passage of time is not required

There has been some confusion about whether the analysis conducted for the March 2004 FEIS
would cover the advance construction of the train box because of two primary reasons:

1. Project Phasing and the Removal of Excavation Spoils
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (IJPA) made changes to the construction phasing
plan that was proposed in the FEIS for the project, changes that TJPA has since
reconsidered

2. California High Speed Rail Authority’s New Design Criteria
The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Peninsula Corridor Joint
Powers Board (Caltrain) announced new design requirements for the Transit Center in
January 2009 that could have significantly increased the size, scope and cost of the project
However, since that time, technical staff of TJPA, CHSRA, and Caltrain have agreed that
the current design of the train box will meet neat-term ridership demand and operating
requirements. Overflow from the Transbay Transit Center, which is not expected, if at all,
until many years in the future, would be accommodated by a redesigned 4th and King
Streets Station


These issues are discussed in greater detail below

Project Phasing and the Removal of Excavation Spoils

The TJPA Board of Directors approved a two-step phasing plan for the project in February 2006,
one year after the FIA issued the ROD for the project. In that phasing plan, [JPA envisioned
constructing the train box portion of the Ivansit Center after the Caltrain Downtown Extension
Tunnel. By completing the tunnel prior to construction of the train box, the tunnel could have been
used to convey excavation spoils fiom the Transit Center underground to the Caltrain Yard at 4th
and King, the transfer point where all spoils from the project will be loaded onto trains for disposal
out of the area. Phasing construction in this way would have significantly reduced the volume of
construction-related truck traffic on roadways surrounding the Transit Center

However, at the time of the publication of the FEIS, [JPA assumed that construction of the Transit
Center would occur in a single phase, and the project alternative analyzed in the FEIS represented
the “worst case” scenario in terms of construction impacts. In this “worst case” scenatio, the FEIS
assumed that all construction-related debris from the Transit Center would be hauled by truck to
the Caltrain Yard on local streets (see FEIS, pp. 192-193). In light of the above, Region IX
believes that advance construction of the train box would not result in environmental impacts
beyond those already analyzed in the FEIS, and that no additional environmental review should be
required

California High Speed Rail Authority’s New Design Criteria

In January 2009, CHSRA and Caltrain raised concerns about the ability of the train box to meet the
physical requirements and operating needs of their systems. Specifically, CHSRA asserted that the
Transit Center would need to be designed to accommodate 12 trains per hour. This level of service
would require 8-10 tracks, rather than the 6 tracks analyzed in the FEIS/EIR, and would necessitate
the construction of one additional underground platform level. Including the train mezzanine, this
would mean a total of three levels below ground rather than the two levels analyzed in the
FEIS/EIR

As currently designed, the train box will have 4 tracks and platforms dedicated to high speed rail,
accommodating 6-8 trains per hour. After thorough review and discussion, IJPA, CHSRA and
Caltrain staff agreed that the current design of the train box will meet near-term ridership demand
and operating requirements. Overflow from the Transbay Transit Center, which is not expected, if
at all, until many years in the future, would be accommodated by a redesigned 4th and King Streets
Station. Since TJPA is not planning to alter the design of the Transit Center in response to the
recent CHSRA/Caltrain request, no additional environmental review is warranted


If you have any questions or comments regarding this memo, please contact Eric Eidlin, FTA
Community Planner, at (415) 744-2502 or Eric.Eidlin@dot.gov

cc by e-mail:

Cheryl Jones, Senior Project Finance Advisor, TIFIA JPO

Jorianne Jernberg, Federal Transit Administration Liaison to the TIFIA JPO

Joe Ossi, Federal Transit Administration Office of Planning and the Environment